First snow for Montreal - winter returns to Ontario & Quebec

The first snow of the season covered the ground on L'Ile Perrot Sunday morning. (ValleyWX)

Our current battle with winter is early but not unprecedented. Montreal awoke to a thin layer of wet snow on Sunday morning with a general 2 or 3cm (about 1 inch) across the area. The snow was all but gone by noon as temperatures rose to 3C (39F). Snow is falling again this morning in southern Quebec as low pressure moves from the Gulf of Mexico across the Ohio and St. Lawrence Valley's. Accumulations are expected to range from 5cm (2 inches) in metro Montreal to as much as 15cm (6 inches) across the higher elevations north and east of the city. Winds will be light today, but increase dramatically overnight and into Tuesday as the storm moves into eastern Quebec and deepens. Wind gusts in excess of 70km/h are possible by Tuesday in Montreal. The winds will blow around any remaining snow, as well as make it much colder than the forecast high of -1C (30F).

Lake Effect Storm
Those same winds will generate a significant lake effect snow event across western and central New York state, around Lake Huron and Georgian Bay in Ontario and even the southern St. Lawrence Valley between Kingston and Brockville. Heavy lake effect snow will develop later tonight and persist into Wednesday. Forecasters expect 1 to 2 feet (30-60cm) of snow along with 80km/h winds in spots. The near blizzard conditions will be accompanied by thunder and lightning in some cases. This will be a major lake effect storm with travel difficult to impossible along portions of Highway 401 as well as Interstates 81 and 90 in New York. The current warnings include Watertown and Buffalo as well as the Adirondacks of New York. In Ontario, snow squall watches are posted for a wide area from Georgian Bay to the upper Ottawa Valley as well as the Niagara Region and Prince Edward County to Kingston. Some of the most persistent squalls may even brush extreme southwest Quebec late Tuesday.